Ernestine's Women's Shelter

Thank you for supporting the many people who walked through our doors in 2023. Clients come to us in search of a safe place free from violence and last year, we were able to do just that.

Our community is full of wonderful people! Thank you to all our holiday heroes who donated to Ernestine’s during the 2023 holiday season.

Your gifts made a big difference in the lives of the women and children who needed it most. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. Your support and care mean so much to us.

We’re looking forward to a new year full of love and hope ❤️

Happy New Year! We are sending best wishes to our community of donors, partners, and staff for a safe and healthy 2024.

We are grateful for all the love and care you’ve shown the folks at Ernestine’s in 2023. They came to us seeking safe sanctuary and with you by our side, we can continue this important work.

Last year, at least 1 in 3 adults who came to Ernestine’s required mental health support.

We support mental health and well-being with counselling, coping skills lessons, therapeutic group programs, access to harm-reduction supplies, help accessing mental health services, and more.

There are only a few days left in the year to maximize your 2023 tax refund. Donate now and receive your charitable tax receipt!

When you donate to Ernestine’s, you join a community of donors who have opened their hearts to those in need.

Can we count on your end-of-year donation? canadahelps.org/en/charities/ernestines-womens-shelter/

A huge thank you to The GHW Memorial Fund Toronto Foundation, which has made a generous contribution to Ernestine's Women's Shelter with a $3,000 grant!

We’re honoured to be the recipient of this grant. These funds will help us start 2024 on a positive note. We can continue providing crucial support services to those who need it most.

Thank you!

Giving feels good!

It’s not too late to get your 2023 charitable tax receipt. Make an online donation before year-end (December 31), and you’ll immediately receive your charitable tax receipt, which can be claimed on your 2023 tax return.

Help make a difference in your local community with a year-end gift. Donate today: canadahelps.org/en/charities/ernestines-womens-shelter/

Since opening our doors in 1983, we have supported over 15,000 adults and children.

Back then, we were a much-needed emergency shelter for women experiencing intimate partner violence and their children. In the four decades since we have evolved our services and mission to meet the needs of our changing world.

Today, Ernestine’s is so much more than a shelter for many more people; we couldn’t have done this without community supporters like you.

Happy holidays to all our community members! We’re wishing you a safe and merry holiday with your loved ones.

When family members and friends seem to have everything they want and more, it can be challenging to find just the right gift for the holidays. Even more so as we get closer to the day.

What if the perfect, heartfelt gift for those loved ones is actually a gift for someone else?

Donating in someone’s honour is the perfect holiday gift. You’ll be changing lives when you donate this season.

Let’s make a difference this year in the lives of women and their children escaping gender-based violence. Your holiday gift will help us continue to provide essential programs and services to those who need it most.

Donate today: canadahelps.org/en/charities/ernestines-womens-shelter/

We are so grateful to Luisa Piccirilli Real Estate who stopped by Ernestine’s and donated $7,500! WOW! You are truly a holiday hero this year ❤️

This gift will help us continue to support our clients, through our food bank and programs, as they transition to independent living. Thank you for your generosity! We are honoured to have you as part of our Ernestine’s community.

Start 2024 off on the right foot by becoming a monthly donor!

When you become a monthly donor, you’re supporting the women and children who stay with us. Each month, you’re making a difference in your community.

Kickstart your new year as a monthly donor: canadahelps.org/en/charities/ernestines-womens-shelter/

Welcome to Ernestine’s! This artwork was drawn by two of the kids staying with us. A masterpiece 🤩

We’re more than just a shelter. We’re a home for those who are in desperate need of sanctuary. Beyond being a safe, short-term space for residents, we also offer a wide range of services to help them heal and move toward a brighter future.

We support each client and develop safety plans, provide emotional support and counselling, provide fun programs and activities for kids, work to secure housing and so much more.

There’s still time to donate this year. Help us continue to support our clients and shelter future Picassos: canadahelps.org/en/charities/ernestines-womens-shelter/

The 2022-2023 annual femicide list from Ontario Association of Interval & Transition Houses was released recently.

Over the last 52 weeks, there have been:

62 women and children killed.
93 charges reported by media, laid against 57 men accused in relation to these femicides.
14 cases were deemed a femicide-suicide.

Femicide in Ontario is not new. Since 1990, there are over 1,020 femicide victims that are known.

At Ernestine’s, we work together to ensure that no more lives are lost. We’re working on bringing attention to gender-based violence and hope one day this list will be zero.

Gabrielle, a former Ernestine’s client, came to us in search of sanctuary. After experiencing intense abuse from her mother, she made her way to Ernestine’s where she was welcomed with open arms.

Our staff never judge someone’s lived experience. Staff treat our clients the way they would want to be treated. We encourage clients to keep going, no matter how difficult it may get. Together, we were able to help Gabrielle and her daughter move into a new, loving home.

Will you help us continue this important work? Donate today: canadahelps.org/en/charities/ernestines-womens-shelter/

Ernestine’s is always there in a time of need. When our clients are in crisis, we answer their call. Our staff provides the utmost care and support for our clients who call our 24/7 crisis line.

Last year, Ernestine’s staff answered 1,134 calls and we continue to answer their calls no matter what.

People like Richard Heft make the world go round! It has been an honour to have you in our community. Richard and the team, ext. marketing inc. have been incredible supporters of Ernestine’s for many years. Thank you for giving hope to the women and children at the shelter. Your ongoing support has impacted so many lives for the better.

Thank you ❤️

The Transitional Housing and Outreach Program provides vital services for people living with abuse who have not yet been able to leave, as well as those who are struggling with housing insecurity as a result of leaving an abusive situation.

For people who are living in abusive situations, Ernestine’s outreach program is a bridge to a life free of violence. It’s a one-stop resource for clients to get everything they may need - emotional support, food support, clothing, toiletries, help accessing housing and so much more.

Gabrielle is a young mom who wanted a safe, loving home for her baby. And that meant finding a way out of the abusive home they lived in.

Supporters like you meant we could shelter Gabrielle and her daughter, Lily, and give them a bright future, one full of hope, happiness and new beginnings.

Make a difference to families like Gabrielle’s by donating today: canadahelps.org/en/charities/ernestines-womens-shelter/

A year ago, we helped Gabrielle and her daughter, Lily, move into their own apartment with furnishings to help them settle into their safe and happy home.

Before that, they had been staying at Ernestine’s after escaping an abusive home.

Your gift is crucial to supporting courageous people like Gabrielle and Lily who want to live lives free from violence.

Will you support more folks like Gabrielle and Lily?

Donate today: canadahelps.org/en/charities/ernestines-womens-shelter/

More than 80 courageous folks who come to us fleeing gender-based violence, and over 600 people who rely on our outreach programs each year. Because of generous donors like you, we can offer shelter and life-saving support for some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

This holiday season, we need your support more than ever. As the cost of living increases, grocery store prices rise, and it’s getting harder and harder for many families to get by.

Help us keep our programs running and keep our food bank shelves full.

Donate today: canadahelps.org/en/charities/ernestines-womens-shelter/

10 December 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of one of the world's most groundbreaking global pledges: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

These are the rights everyone is entitled to as a human being - no matter their race, colour, religion, s*x, language and more.

Together, we stand up for our rights and those of others. At Ernestine’s, we have a role to play in protecting the rights of those in our community and working towards a better world.

My whole heart, reflecting and remembering 💔 today. Please take a moment to show your support for ending gender-based violence🙏🏼 Remember Remember Remember that we need to work together to create a safer community for EVERYONE. Thanks to wonderful places like providing aid, food, shelter, crisis intervention and support for individuals and their children experiencing violence🤍I’ve chosen to listen to Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal today, as I reflect and hold space. 🙏🏼🕊️Posted • Today we recognize the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, in honour of the 14 young women murdered at Polytechnique Montréal in 1989.

We will remember:
Geneviève Bergeron
Hélène Colgan
Nathalie Croteau
Barbara Daigneault
Anne-Marie Edward
Maud Haviernick
Maryse Laganière
Maryse Leclair
Anne-Marie Lemay
Sonia Pelletier
Michèle Richard
Annie St-Arneault
Annie Turcotte
Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz

Women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ individuals continue to face unacceptable violence and discrimination to this day. Each day, we fight to ensure gender-based violence is no longer in our communities. We fight to protect women and their children from experiencing this abuse. We continue to help break the cycle of violence by providing care for women in need.

Spread joy and happiness this holiday season with our Amazon wishlist! Towels, bed sheets, bathrobes, blankets and so much more will help us ensure our clients receive everything they need to make their stay more comfortable.

Support our shelter by donating these essential items: https://ow.ly/rKsX50QgL5Z

Adapting to a new country wasn’t easy for Gabrielle when she left her grandmother’s home in Jamaica at 16 to live with her mom in Canada. Home was not the refuge she pictured.

Gabrielle wanted to avoid her abusive mother as much as she could. When she got pregnant, the arguing increased and Gabrielle did not feel safe bringing her new daughter into that environment.

At Ernestine’s, Gabrielle was able to access everything she needed to help her take care of Lily. Now that she’s moved out of the shelter and has an apartment of her own, our food bank helps her stretch her budget so Lily can eat the healthy food she needs to grow big and strong.

Ernestine’s is so much more than a shelter. Can we count on you to donate today?
canadahelps.org/en/charities/ernestines-womens-shelter/

Today we recognize the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, in honour of the 14 young women murdered at Polytechnique Montréal in 1989.

We will remember:
Geneviève Bergeron
Hélène Colgan
Nathalie Croteau
Barbara Daigneault
Anne-Marie Edward
Maud Haviernick
Maryse Laganière
Maryse Leclair
Anne-Marie Lemay
Sonia Pelletier
Michèle Richard
Annie St-Arneault
Annie Turcotte
Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz

Women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ individuals continue to face unacceptable violence and discrimination to this day. Each day, we fight to ensure gender-based violence is no longer in our communities. We fight to protect women and their children from experiencing this abuse. We continue to help break the cycle of violence by providing care for women in need.

As a new mom, Gabrielle knew she needed to escape her mom’s intense verbal and emotional abuse. Gabrielle wanted a safe, loving home for her baby, which meant finding a way out.

When she made her way to Ernestine’s, she found the emotional and practical support of our compassionate staff and was able to carve out a new path for herself and her daughter.

Your support is essential for other moms just like Gabrielle. Give them the gift of hope by donating today: https://ow.ly/5iFO50Qfm9z

✨Winter Solstice Yoga Nidra✨Sunday December 17 at 4:00-5:30pm with Magz, all proceeds to .

Let’s welcome in the winter season in collective breath together. A form of guided meditation, Nidra allows you to tap into a state of relaxed consciousness, as the mind settles in a place between wakefulness and sleep. We will add heat, blankets and warm touch.

➡️Link in bio, $30 donation to Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter. Included tea and treats after class + prize draw for a gift.